What is Golden Dome? Trump's $175 billion defence shield to counter China, Russia
US Space Force Vice Chief of Space Operations General Michael Guetlein and President Donald Trump.(Photo: Reuters)
The Golden Dome is expected to rely on hundreds of satellites to detect, track, and possibly intercept incoming missiles. The system is inspired by Israel's Iron Dome, though Trump's plan is broader and includes both surveillance satellites and interceptor satellites to target enemy missiles shortly after launch. The president signed an executive order in January that initiated the project.advertisement"All of them will be knocked out of the air," Trump said. "The success rate is very close to 100%."CHALLENGES OVER FUNDING AND PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPSTrump's ambitious project with an estimated cost of $175 billion will take years to implement amid questions about political approval and funding. However, Trump said the project should be finished by January 2029, before the end of his term if re-elected.Democratic leaders have raised concerns about the selection process for private companies involved in the project. Elon Musk's company SpaceX is seen as a leading contender, along with Palantir and Anduril.The Pentagon is now moving forward to test and eventually purchase the components of the Golden Dome, including missiles, sensors, and satellites. Several companies, including L3Harris Technologies, Lockheed Martin, and RTX Corp, were named as likely partners in the press conference.Trump said states like Alaska, Florida, Georgia, and Indiana will benefit directly from the project. Many of the early components are expected to come from existing production lines.HOW GOLDEN DOME PROJECT COULD BE A GAMECHANGER?The Golden Dome is a next-generation missile defence plan which is aimed at protecting the American mainland from advanced and fast-evolving airborne threats. Unlike older systems focused mainly on Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD), Golden Dome will deal with Hypersonic Glide Vehicles (HGVs), cruise missiles, and large swarms of AI-equipped drones.advertisementThese new threats are faster, more sophisticated, and more difficult to follow, so traditional missile defence systems are less effective. It is for this reason that Golden Dome is regarded as a big improvement to the broader Integrated Air and Missile Defence (IAMD) program.At the core of the Golden Dome is what defence experts call a "System of Systems." This means many different parts -- like high-tech detection sensors, tracking tools, interceptor missiles, and command-and-control networks -- will all work together as one smart, connected network. Each component will operate autonomously but exchange information in real time in order to rapidly detect and neutralise threats.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
38 minutes ago
- Time of India
Residents seek underpasses on NH 7 to address safety concerns
1 2 3 Panchkula: Residents and welfare associations have raised an urgent demand for the construction of two underpasses at accident-prone locations on the NH-07 (Panchkula–Yamunanagar highway), citing increasing number of accidents in recent months. Residents said the first proposed underpass is at the junction where Bander Ghati Road meets the highway, near the Jhuriwala dumping ground. This T-point has become a notorious black spot from a road safety perspective. Several casualties were reported here in the past few months due to the absence of safe crossing infrastructure and poor visibility at the junction. Locals and commuters have continuously flagged the issue, demanding immediate intervention by authorities. The second critical location is at the junction of the dividing road of sectors 27 and 28, which also intersects with the highway. Residents of both sectors, especially Sector 28, face a risk while accessing Ramgarh and adjoining areas. Many are forced to use the wrong side of the service lane due to lack of a safe and structured passage. A formal request has already been submitted by the Sector 28 RWA to the Panchkula Metropolitan Development Authority, which is expected to take up the issue with NHAI. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like American Investor Warren Buffett Recommends: 5 Books For Turning Your Life Around Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo "We have been facing some challenges due to the lack of a road cut under the bridge at the road dividing sectors 27/28. The current layout of the highway without a road cut at this point forces us to take a longer route to reach our destinations. This not only increases our travel time but also contributes to unnecessary fuel consumption and traffic congestion. A road cut at the mentioned location would greatly alleviate these issues and improve the overall connectivity of our sector. We request you to consider our proposal and look into the feasibility of creating a road cut under the bridge at the road dividing sectors 27 and 28 in Panchkula," wrote Sector 27 and 28 RWAs presidents in their plea to PMDA. MSID:: 123347640 413 | Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
Mint
an hour ago
- Mint
Trump's Peace-Deal Demands Leave Zelenskiy With Only Bad Options
Volodymyr Zelenskiy finds himself in an impossible bind: risk Donald Trump's wrath or accept a quick deal to end Russia's war in Ukraine by paying the disastrous price of ceding territory for vague security guarantees that could see Moscow come back stronger in a few years' time. This is the existential dilemma confronting the Ukrainian leader as he travels to Washington for talks with the US president on Monday. Fresh off a summit in Alaska with Vladimir Putin that bypassed a ceasefire, Trump has left Zelenskiy little room to maneuver. The situation is made even more tenuous by the memory of his last visit to the White House in February that erupted into a bitter exchange between Zelenskiy and Trump and briefly led to a halt in military support. This time a coterie of European leaders will accompany him, but they have questionable leverage and haven't always been on the same page. The entourage will seek clarity from Trump on exactly what security guarantees the US is willing to provide as it attempts to orchestrate a meeting with the Ukrainian president and Putin. Among the group accompanying Zelenskiy are people Trump has struck a strong personal rapport with, including NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Finnish President Alexander Stubb. Aside from avoiding another dispute and maintaining Trump's interest in brokering a deal, Zelenskiy's objectives in the talks include: learning more about Putin's demands, pinning down the timing for a trilateral meeting, and prodding the US toward tougher sanctions against Russia, according to a person familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified discussing private deliberations. Whether he can achieve any of these goals will depend on how much, in the view of European officials, Putin has gotten into Trump's head. After Friday's summit, Trump appeared to align again with the Russian president by dropping demands for an immediate ceasefire as a condition for opening negotiations. Instead, he said he'll urge Zelenskiy to act fast on a peace plan. 'Putin has many demands,' Zelenskiy said Sunday at a joint press conference with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels, a stopover to prepare for the Washington visit. 'It will take time to go through them all — it's impossible to do this under the pressure of weapons,' he said, adding that a ceasefire would be needed to 'work quickly on a final deal.' Raising the stakes for Kyiv, the US president sounded open to Putin's demands that Ukraine give up large areas of land in the east of the country, which the Russian army and its proxies have been trying to seize since 2014. Despite the harsh demands on Ukraine, there are signs that the US is now prepared to back a deal. Following his meeting with Putin, Trump told European leaders that the US could contribute to any security guarantees and that Putin was prepared to accept that. But it remains unclear what kind of security guarantees are being discussed with Putin, and what the Kremlin leader is willing to accept. 'We got to an agreement that the US and other nations could effectively offer Article 5-like language to Ukraine,' Steve Witkoff, Trump's special envoy, said in an interview with CNN, referring to the NATO provision that says if one ally is attacked, it is considered an attack on all members. Trump is also under pressure. He had promised that after taking office in January he would quickly end Russia's full-scale invasion, which is in its fourth year. His efforts were mainly targeted at Kyiv but he ultimately had to acknowledge it was the Kremlin that didn't want to stop the war. Instead of yielding to Trump, Russia has intensified attacks. Civilian deaths have mounted, with June and July the deadliest months in more than three years, according to the United Nations. Ahead of the Alaska summit, Trump said refusal to accept a ceasefire would trigger tough new punitive measures on Moscow and countries buying Russian oil. After the meeting, which included a red-carpet reception for Putin and a shared ride in the US leader's armored limo, Trump called off the threats. Rather than punish the aggressor, he declared he's seeking a full peace deal that includes 'lands' swap' and urged Zelenskiy to accept it. On Sunday, the Ukrainian leader reaffirmed his stance that he won't give up territory or trade land. 'Since the territorial issue is so important, it should be discussed only by the leaders of Ukraine and Russia' at a meeting accompanied by the US, Zelenskiy said. 'So far Russia gives no sign the trilateral will happen.' Zelenskiy's refusal to accept territorial losses is a position shared by the majority of Ukrainians. But the level of support has softened as counteroffensives sputter and casualties mount. Still, fears are that a further retreat could invite later attacks. Talks in Washington will also be pivotal for Zelenskiy domestically. In late July, he faced his first political crisis since Russia invaded. Thousands took to the streets over his move to undermine anti-corruption institutions. Zelenskiy relented and re-installed independence to agencies that investigate top officials. His position in the talks is complicated by divisions between the US, Ukraine and other allies. Trump believes Russia can take the whole of Ukraine — although the Kremlin has managed only to seize less than a fifth of Ukraine's territory despite more than 1 million war casualties. Europeans, meanwhile, are wary that favorable conditions could encourage Putin to widen his aggression. 'It is important that America agrees to work with Europe to provide security guarantees for Ukraine,' Zelenskiy said on Sunday. 'But there are no details how it'll work and what America's role will be, what Europe's role will be, what the EU can do. And this is our main task.' With assistance from Piotr Skolimowski. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
'Game-changing': Steve Witkoff lauds Trump for 'successful' Putin summit; proposes security guarantees for Ukraine
Steve Witkoff (AP image) Middle East Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said the White House has scored important wins during Friday's summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, even though President Donald Trump did not get the ceasefire he had pushed for. Witkoff told CNN on Sunday that the most significant outcome was the agreement on security guarantees for Ukraine, described as 'Article 5-like protections,' which he called 'game-changing.' 'We didn't think that we were anywhere close to agreeing to Article Five protection from the United States in legislative enshrinement within the Russian Federation, not to go after any other territory when the peace deal is codified,' Witkoff said. He added that United States and other European nations reached an agreement to provide Article 5-like security guarantees. Ahead of the Alaska meeting, Trump had issued warnings about consequences if Russia did not commit to a ceasefire. Despite the high-profile summit, which included a red carpet welcome for Putin, no concrete plans for a follow-up meeting were established, as reported by Politico. Despite an inconclusive summit, Witkoff had expressed his optimism. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like This Could Be the Best Time to Trade Gold in 5 Years IC Markets Learn More Undo He said the discussions marked the first time the US has seen meaningful accommodation from Russia, more than during previous administrations. He emphasized the need to build on this progress. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will visit Washington on Monday to meet with Trump, accompanied by several European leaders. Trump has signaled willingness to contribute to security guarantees for Kyiv in a final settlement to help deter future Russian aggression. Trump's former Vice President Mike Pence called Witkoff's account of the proposed security guarantees 'encouraging,' but warned the White House to keep in mind that Putin remains the main threat in the conflict. 'I served alongside the president for four years. I know his style in dealing with these dictators,' Pence said. 'It's the velvet glove. But I think the hammer needs to come and it needs to come immediately.'
